Tell us a bit about yourself, Jeanne...

I am currently living in St. Albert, Alberta but my husband and I will be moving to Ontario this summer. I have two children, a son who is studying music composition at UBC and a daughter who just finished her first year in a general arts program at UPEI. This past fall was a new experience for me without either of my children at home.

Art has always been my passion and although I started off in education I soon realized my heart was wrapped up in the arts. I have been a stay at home mom but over the years have taken courses and volunteered in the arts. I have spent the last eleven years serving on the boards of arts organizations in my community and have learned so much!

I have been attending Series at Red Deer College for the past six years. It’s great to enjoy a week of learning in the summer and be with like-minded souls! I have been focusing on the paper & book arts. I love to incorporate my Polaroid transfers, collage, handmade papers and other techniques into artists books, journals and altered books.

As a child I loved to spend time in the attic; it was my secret place to read and be alone. It was a difficult place to access but I found a way to climb up and get in there without anyone knowing which made it even more special. There were odds and ends of things to sift through up there, some of my grandma’s old jewelry & make-up and other treasures. At the far end of the attic there was a window with a torn lace curtain but I was too scared to crawl down to that end because of all the electrical wires. I’d also heard a story about the previous owner putting his foot through the attic when he accidentally walked on the ceiling! I can’t remember the last time I went up there but I did manage to crawl to the end and look through that window…the view wasn’t that exciting but it was a small victory for me. The old milk bottle and beautiful wooden lamp base I found up there are still with me today.

How does art fit into your day?

Art finds it’s way into everyday for me whether I’m working on a piece, reading or on my computer. I usually have several projects that I’m committed to and spend time most days working on them. I also belong to a paper arts group of talented people willing to share knowledge & techniques with each other. We get together once a month to work on our own projects or learn new techniques together. Occasionally I set up similar informal sessions in my home.

Volunteering has also been a big part of my life and besides being rewarding I have learned much about the arts. Attending board meetings, being on planning committees or taking part in work bees have been regular parts of my day. While volunteering as Director of Programming at the Public Art Gallery I set up and managed the "Looking At Art" tour program. I am now in my eleventh year on the board of the Visual Arts Council and at the end of May every year I spend a week volunteering for the International Children’s Festival held here in St. Albert. Thousands of children take part in the festival and pass through the studios to make handmade paper. It’s a busy week but such a fun experience!

 

 

What, usually, do you find gets you into your "creative space"?

Often it’s seeing something that inspires me, sometimes it’s just being in my workspace and most especially it’s being alone. Although I seem to have centralized most of my work in the dining room I don’t really have a separate space for a studio in my house. Everything seems to have spread itself around and settled into favorite places and spaces around my home. Stacks of books and magazines live next to the bed, in the living room, the basement and in a spare room. I love to collect so many different things and have no problem finding places for them to live. I have two desks in my dining room as well as the table and two huge bookshelves. Everything is neatly cluttered and filled! My kitchen has a long counter top table with a bank of drawers at one end and I find myself working and storing a lot of my small tools there. The pantry has also been converted into a computer nook situated just inside the kitchen for convenience and easy access. I have a large window in the kitchen that looks out onto my veranda and beyond into the backyard. I have bird feeders set up and love seeing the birds land on the veranda…they’re so beautiful! A couple of robins set up their nest on the top rail of the veranda and had four babies last spring! I had an incredible view of them just sitting at my table. I also have a squirrel we named Pogs who regularly naps on the top rail after a snack of sunflower seeds. I definitely feel relaxed with them keeping me company.

What is the creative process like for you? From the inception of an
idea to bringing the idea into a physical reality.

When I start work on a new project it’s usually just a tiny seed of an idea and I don’t know the direction it will grow in. It’s like a puzzle and I only have the first few pieces. There’s a lot of thinking and searching involved to find the direction and the remaining pieces. I spend time gathering things that seem to "belong" to the project and begin trying to put them together. It’s a trial and error process. When one piece fits, others may be moved or eliminated. There’s always this one magical moment though, when that one piece discovered makes everything fall into place…you finally see the whole picture and know exactly what to do! Until then, I feel a lot of uncertainty about what I’m doing. I’ve learned to be patient but you feel such a huge sense of arrival when the finish line is finally in sight.

 

 

Who or what inspires you?

A lot of my inspiration comes from reading….I am most definitely addicted to books and magazines! There are so many great magazines out there featuring new techniques and hard to resist books with wonderful visuals. I have a growing collection of both! The Internet also provides incredible sites and products and I enjoy browsing to see what’s new out there and to stay connected.

 

What techniques do you find repeatedly showing up in your artwork?

I do use a lot of Polaroid transfers in my work. I like to take close-up photographs of small sections of my collages. Being able to use those images as Polaroid transfers is a wonderful way to stretch my work in a new direction. I love to set up three-dimensional collages…it’s sort of like setting up a little still life to photograph. I think it creates so much more depth in the transfer images. I also love to use hand stitching in my collages and on journal pages...but nothing that looks too perfect!

 

 

Are there certain images that you also find constantly appearing in your
work?

I love nature and anything natural! I use a lot of pressed leaves and flowers and I especially like the imperfect ones that have little holes or missing petals. Somehow it signifies to me that they’ve had an interesting life and have more character. I also love the look of text and try to incorporate old photos or letters in my work. I use images of my mother’s mother Azile a lot in my work; she has always been an inspiration to me!

 

Do you have favorite materials that you like to use?

I love leaves and have lots of telephone books with different kinds of leaves pressed in them to use in my pieces. I enjoy going to garage sales to find interesting and quirky things to use in collages or to photograph for Polaroid transfers. I collect old buttons, glass beads, small wooden boxes to hide treasures in and small bird ornaments.

What new things have you been working on lately?

I am currently working on The Opera Coat Project, which is a long-term project due to be completed in the spring of 2006. I am collaborating with another artist to create a floor length opera coat, which will be made from handmade paper. In this project there will be approximately 17 opera coats created by artists from all over Alberta with each coat based on a different opera. An exhibition will be held in Edmonton in 2006. I am working on an Altered Book Project as well, which again involves artists from Albert and will be finishing in August of this year. Details are being worked out for an exhibition as well. I am always committed to several online exchanges. I enjoy participating in them…it’s great to be motivated & challenged to learn something new!

I also recently took a workshop and bought myself a Gocco Printer....it should be a fun tool to play with!

 

 

What is the biggest enemy of your creativity?

Distractions! If I’m focused and working on a piece, little things like the dog asking to go out, or the phone ringing can pull me out of the zone I seem to get in….being alone is the best solution. I also find it difficult to be creative in a workshop situation…so I usually set up in a corner and try to find a way to get into my own space. I am much happier when I don’t have to be creative in that environment. I prefer to spend the time learning the techniques and then later finding ways to use them in my work.

Do you have a favorite color to work with?

Not necessarily but I generally love more subtle colors and tend to gravitate more towards cooler tones.

 

What do you think your art communicates about you?

I hope it expresses my love of layers both the physical and the intangible and my love of nature.

 

Where do you create?

I do most of my work at my kitchen counter/table. I especially love working there when the sun is streaming in with my favorite pair of blue jays keeping an eye on me. I absolutely love listening to music while I work and listen to a wide range of music! My son is always sending me new pieces to listen to…all the way from classical to jazz and alternative. I love the old stuff too!

 

Do you recall when you first referred to yourself as an artist? How did that feel?

Yes I do and believe it or not I was in a dentists chair! When she asked what I did, I surprised myself and said I was an artist! I think it’s difficult to say that out loud sometimes because as soon as you say it you start to try and justify it in your head. At the time I had just moved from British Colombia to Alberta. I didn’t have a studio and wasn’t a full-time practicing artist however I had some work in a juried exhibition in British Columbia and had sold several pieces before I had left, so I guess I felt brave enough. I’ve heard so many people debate this and I think whether you can say it out loud or not, it doesn’t really matter because you always know deep in your heart if you are.

 

 

Who, as an artist, inspires you in your work?

Such a difficult question to answer because there are so many incredible artists out there today. I do love Chagall….he has such a wonderful dreamlike quality to his work and Emily Carr is also a favorite of mine.
I really enjoy seeing artist’s whose work incorporates similar elements to mine but am really inspired by work that is vastly different and sometimes more brave! My mother always told me to never wear anything red….it was NOT my color. Red is such a vibrant, incredible color and although attracted to it I have stayed away from it. Maybe one day I will work in and wear red but for now I am inspired seeing artists whose work bravely embraces all colors!

 

Favorite or inspiring quote:

It has always been John Lennon’s "life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans" I think about this and try to apply it by being aware that everyday is an important part of my life.

Has your work been published?

Yes my work has been published in a few magazines. Somerset Studio, Legacy, Stamper Sampler, ARTitude Zine and Dog Eared Magazine.

How can someone purchase your art ?

I sell my work privately and sometimes in exhibitions. Some of the books I create are for exhibitions, exchanges or gifts. I also donate to the Public Art Gallery’s annual art auction to help fundraise for their programs.

 

Do you have a website?

I don’t have a website yet but would love to….I am planning to set one up in the near future!

 

Do you have an e-mail that you can be reached at?

My email is jgermani@telusplanet.net

 

More art work by Jeanne

 

 

All images copyright Jeanne Germani. Images may not be reproduced.